MEDINA, ISLAM'S SECOND HOLIEST CITY, IN SEARCH OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000164

SIPDIS

NEA/ARP, IO, DRL, IRF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/28/2014
TAGS: ECON KISL OPDC PREL SA OIC
SUBJECT: MEDINA, ISLAM'S SECOND HOLIEST CITY, IN SEARCH OF
U.S. BUSINESS TIES

REF: 09 JEDDAH 0085

Classified By: CG Martin R. Quinn for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)



1. (C) SUMMARY: During a rare ConGen visit to Medina,
Islam,s second holiest city and one of the fastest-growing
metropolitan areas in the Kingdom, local officials expressed
unexpectedly strong interest in establishing business ties
and partnerships with U.S. firms. A tour of the city,s
Islamic sites, including the historic Prophet,s Mosque,
revealed ongoing disputes between the Shi,a community and
the SAG. END SUMMARY.
FEELING BYPASSED BY US TRADE DELS

2. (SBU) During April 12 visit, Salih Bin Roeaished
Al-Suahaimi, Chairman of the Board of the Medina Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, and several board members articulated
strong interest in building business relationships with U.S.
companies and expressed disappointment that recent U.S. trade
delegations had visited the Kingdom without stopping in
Medina. Asked how it would be possible for an American
delegation to visit the holy city with entry forbidden to
non-Muslims, Al-Suahaimi explained that the Haram (the sacred
area closed to non-Muslims) does not extend over the entire
Medina city limits. Many facilities and hotels on the city
outskirts house venues where a non-Muslim U.S. trade
delegation could meet with Saudi counterparts and talk
business.
KNOWLEDGE CITY

3. (U) Chamber members had ideas about what they believed
could be profitable business ventures. One discussed
developing partnerships with U.S. firms that have the ability
to help Medina companies make use of resources currently
wasted, such as the wood from date palm trees. Other Chamber
members stressed the importance of pushing ahead to forge
partnerships now as the city builds an economic hub known as
Knowledge City. This $7 billion project is the third of six
economic hubs the Kingdom plans to construct. Officials hope
the Medina hub will serve as a catalyst for the region,s
economic development in knowledge-based industries.
According to the Chamber, part of Knowledge City will be
located near the airport, outside the limits of the Haram, in
order to accommodate non-Muslim business visitors. The
promise was made to relay the discussion and schedule a
follow-up meeting with the US Commercial Service.

4. (SBU) A courtesy call was paid on Medina Governor, Prince
Abdul Aziz bin Majid Al Saud, who in a brief welcome reviewed
current development plans for Knowledge City and addressed
Medina's historic position as a religious site.
TRANQUILITY OF MEDINA'S HARAM

5. (SBU) Compared to Islam,s holiest and more bustling city
of Mecca, the atmosphere of Medina is remarkably tranquil.
The city is clean and modernized in contrast to the old,
worn, run-down streets of Mecca. At its heart is the second
holiest place of worship for Muslims, the Prophet,s Mosque,
occupying a site originally the Prophet,s house and Islam,s
first seat of government. Today, the Mosque encompasses the
Prophet,s Tomb.

6. (U) The massive Prophet's Mosque accommodates nearly
300,000 worshippers at once. Unlike the Haram in Mecca,
where the atmosphere is tense as pilgrims labor to complete
what can be physically taxing rituals, the atmosphere of the
Prophet,s Mosque is serene. Throughout the day worshippers
are scattered throughout the site, reading the Quran, saying
prayers, and even taking naps.

7. (U) Like the Haram in Mecca, the Medina Mosque has marble
floors and hundreds of marble columns connected to stone
archways. At points in the Mosque the arches appear to run
endlessly in all directions. The older portion of the
structure has more colorful decorations and contains the area
known as the Ar-Rawdah An-Nabawiyah(the Garden of the
Prophet) housing the tomb of the Prophet. The tomb lies under
the Mosque's highly visible and distinctive green dome,
surrounded by walls on three sides and a green fence on the
fourth. This area of the Mosque is usually crowded with
worshippers since Islamic tradition holds that prayers
performed there are never rejected. Religious police are
positioned throughout the Mosque, including at the fence
shielding the Prophet,s grave, which ensures that
worshippers do not offend against Sunni/Wahhabi rules
discouraging veneration of tombs.
CLASH WITH SHI'A WORSHIPPERS

8. (C) In the courtyard directly outside the Prophet,s Tomb
an altercation was witnessed between the Mutawwaiin(CVPVC
religious police) and three Shi'a worshippers. The
worshippers, facing the Prophet,s Tomb, began chanting
prayers written on sheets of paper. Seconds after the
chanting began, religious police snatched the papers from
their hands. A shouting match ensued, lasting briefly before

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authorities obliged the Shi'a worshippers to move along.

9. (C) Khaled Albahiya, the owner of a small company
conducting city tours of historic sites, claimed that over a
period of 20 years the number of religious sites in Medina
had shrunk from about 10,000 to barely half that number today
-- a direct result of the SAG's unwillingness to protect
historic Islamic sites due to fear they will become Shi'a
shrines. Sites include a farm once owned by the Prophet,
several wells used during the Prophet's era and a number of
homes that at one time belonged to companions/contemporaries
of the Prophet. Albahiya noted that while King Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz halted the destruction of historic sites and
ordered their preservation, only one well had a gate and none
had signage or even security guards.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR US BUSINESS IN MEDINA

10. (SBU) COMMENT: A Medina visit allows a rare glimpse into
the activities and culture of a city of historic importance,
not only to the Kingdom, but to Muslims throughout the world.
The heavy volume of projected development, including the $7
billion Knowledge City project, should provide opportunities
for U.S. business to explore alliances. While the typical
U.S. trade delegation would be restricted to the city
outskirts, perhaps never seeing their Saudi counterparts,
headquarters, a trade delegation of Muslim American business
executives, able to enter the holy precincts, could well
generate more commercial traction.

11. (C) However promising the commercial prospects, tensions
appear to persist between SAG officials and Shi,a pilgrims.
If recent clashes at Baq,i cemetery (reftel) are an
indication, the fabled tranquility of Medina could be in
jeopardy. END COMMENT.
QUINN